An action alert is a message that an organization sends to its supporters calling on them to take action to influence public policy. Typically, action alerts are in reference to a timely issue, where prompt action is needed in order to affect upcoming decisions. Action alerts may, for instance, ask supporters to:

Contact their member of Congress in support of proposed legislation; or

Write a letter to the editor about a specific item in the news.

Action alerts commonly begin by explaining the public policy issue to the recipients, and then tell the reader how they can impact the decision. Action alerts go by many other names; Amnesty International, for instance, refers to them as "Urgent actions"[1].